Career Development Puts You Ahead

In the current economic climate it is difficult to predict what the future holds for soon-to-be college graduates but there are some career development tips that can help you to become better suited to enter the work force while you are still a student.

Get ahead in your career by doing the following Career Development steps:

Volunteer

Though you might not be able to hold a regular job during college, doing volunteer work in the field that you are interested in can be a great way to build up your resume.  If you are able to volunteer in your field of interest you won’t just be building up your resume, you will also be getting some real world experience that will help you to decide if this is the field you really want to go in to.  It is usually not hard to find someone who will be willing to accept free work from college students, no matter what your field of interest is.

Job Fairs

If you are graduating soon or you are a recent graduate, going to a job fair is a great way to network and get your resume out to possibly hundreds of potential employers.  Job fairs let you apply for several jobs at one time and many job fairs are field specific.  You can also get a chance to see what is out there and meet people who may be able to help you get a job later down the line.  Check with your school since many universities sponsor job fairs to help students with career development goals.

Network

It is important to network in the field you are interested in pursuing as much as you possibly can.  Most people are hired for jobs by someone who knows someone.  Newspaper ads are often filled before they are placed.  It is good to get in with people who are already working in your field.  This means getting to know potential employers as well as potential coworkers.  This is especially important for those who have degrees in creative fields like writing, drama, or art.

Also, make sure you keep up with the contact information for anyone you do volunteer work, internships, or work projects.  You should also get the contact information of professors whose classes you did well in.  In addition to helping you locate jobs later down the line, these people can help you to build up a good reference list.

Join Professional Organization

Join professional organizations that are provided for people in your field.  Many professional unions and organizations offer special memberships for students that are available at a much lower cost. This looks good and is a great resume builder.

If you follow these career development guidelines you will be far ahead of some of your competitors.  Many students make the mistake of putting no effort toward building a career during college so you will be one step ahead of them.  Employers will recognize your drive to succeed when they see what you have done to prepare yourself for the career world.

Related Posts

1. 5 Career Development Tips That Work

2. Areas of Career Development for College Students

3. Bad Economy And Dealing With A Career Transition

4. Strangest Career Coaching Students Can Get

5. Avoid Career Changes By Doing Internships In College

Tags: career, career advice, career coaching, career counselor, Career Development, career goals, career help, career networking, career planning, job fairs, volunteer

4 Responses to “Career Development Puts You Ahead”

1. Career Coaching For Students And New Professionals | College To Careers says:

   June 2, 2010 at 6:09 am

   [...] you are the only one who really knows what you want to do with your life. You want to get some good career advice from the person giving you your career coaching, but you shouldn’t let them choose your [...]
2. Deciding On A College Major | LSN says:

   June 10, 2010 at 1:04 am

   [...] at college will have a massive impact on the job you take when you leave college and your future career development. Of course nothing is set in stone, however you should make sure that you take the decision of [...]
3. Tobias says:

   July 4, 2010 at 6:31 am

   Excellent advice there, everyone should be focusing more on their career when the recession puts such strains on the labour market. Start with the bottom up I say, you can’t command respect from others until you have respect from yourself, that sort of motto. Do you know your cv well? career development is all about retrospective learning and self awareness.
4. Career Development and Marketing Yourself | College To Careers says:

   July 27, 2010 at 7:11 pm

   [...] Career Development: “Market yourself in a way that will leave a lasting impression.” [...]